All Heavens: A Role-Playing System Starting from Tianlong

Chapter 96 The Chaos Finally Subsides

The long-bearded old man wielding the iron mace was Elder Song, the head of the Beggars' Sect's four elders, and a highly respected figure within the sect. Seeing him captured by Zhang Cheng in a single move, the beggars were all shocked, and their initial attack on Qiao Feng stalled.

Elder Wu, with his red face, was the first to react, shouting sternly, "Form the Dog-Beating Formation!"

Upon hearing the sound, the disciples sprang into action, scattering and taking their positions according to the formation. Footsteps clattered and figures darted about, quickly surrounding Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, not taking advantage of the situation to make a move, but quietly waiting for the formation to take shape.

Once the formation was complete, the gang members rose and fell from all sides, launching a relentless attack. Swords flashed and shadows danced as they attacked from all directions, their movements perfectly coordinated, advancing and retreating in a way that made them impossible to defend against.

Zhang Cheng focused his energy to protect himself, and the Northern Darkness True Qi surged forth, forming an invisible wall of energy around his body.

The weapons barely touched the air barrier before being thrown back by the recoil. The wielder felt a numbness in his hand, and he and his weapon were sent flying backward, crashing into the crowd behind him and knocking over many people.

The once-mighty formation was instantly torn open with gaps. The Dog-Beating Formation was broken.

Zhang Cheng stood still, without even raising his hand.

"What kind of skill is this?!" a disciple exclaimed in shock.

"Go and capture his companions," Quan Guanqing ordered, his gaze shifting.

Upon hearing this, the beggars all looked at Li Qiushui and the others standing to the side, their faces showing hesitation.

The people who came this time were all elites of the Beggars' Sect, and they were quite well-regarded in the martial arts world.

Sending them to besiege Qiao Feng was an internal matter and could be somewhat justified. But sending them to make things difficult for a few women would be utterly disgraceful if word got out.

Only Quan Guanqing's subordinates from the Dazhi branch had fewer reservations. With a whoosh, they charged towards Li Qiushui and the others, swords in hand.

Azhu and Abi stood still, their expressions unchanged. They had witnessed firsthand the power of this "auntie" who stood in front of them.

Sure enough, before the group could even get close, they were lifted up by some invisible force and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Ouch!" "Ah—!" Cries of agony rose and fell as the disciples rolled and wailed on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

The other disciples were shocked and rushed forward to help. But as they got closer, they discovered that the women were surrounded by an invisible force that spun rapidly and was impenetrable.

Anyone who dared to approach was swept up by this force and mercilessly thrown into the air.

For a moment, screams rose and fell, and figures flew back and forth in mid-air, creating a spectacular scene.

On one side, the Beggars' Sect disciples' offensive was thwarted; on the other side, the elders and leaders were already showing signs of defeat.

Zhang Cheng didn't have as many reservations as Qiao Feng. Even with restraint, he knocked down anyone who approached him with a single punch. These elite members of the Beggars' Clan were like paper in front of him; they flew away at the slightest touch and fell to the ground the moment they were near.

Meanwhile, Qiao Feng, seeing that Quan Guanqing and others were dragging innocent people into the conflict, finally stopped tolerating it.

He sidestepped a leader's blade, closed in, and with an elbow strike, broke the man's stance, then struck him in the ribs with a backhand. The man flew through the air, crashing into the crowd, unable to get up again.

Immediately afterwards, he reached out and grabbed at the face of another leader. The man swung his sword to block, but Qiao Feng seized his wrist, twisted and snatched the sword, and it changed hands.

Qiao Feng struck the man squarely in the chest with his palm, sending him flying out of the circle. He landed unable to move.

With a casual toss, he pinned the stolen longsword to a tree dozens of feet away. The blade whistled through the air and, with a "thud," disappeared into the hilt, leaving only the tassel swaying gently outside.

Taking advantage of the moment when Qiao Feng's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, the short, stout elder thrust his steel staff forward. However, as soon as the staff was extended, he felt a great force pulling him from behind.

He turned around abruptly and saw that Zhang Cheng had somehow gotten close behind him, gripping the end of the steel staff with one hand and holding the head of a Beggar Clan disciple in the other, lifting the man up and suspending him in mid-air.

Zhang Cheng casually threw the man away, knocking back the surging gang members. At the same time, he suddenly exerted force with the hand holding the cane, dragging the short, fat elder over.

"The second one—" he muttered, as he punched the old man in the chest with his other fist.

"Bullshit!" the short, fat elder shouted, abandoning his staff and using it for leverage. He spun around and delivered a sweeping kick to Zhang Cheng's temple.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng unleashed the power of his One-Finger Divine Skill along the steel staff. The moment the short, stout elder's hand, which was gripping the staff, touched the finger's power, half of his body went numb, and his attack faltered.

Zhang Cheng's fist swung smoothly, landing a solid blow to his ribs. The short, stout elder grunted, flying backward and crashing into the crowd, unable to get up for a long time.

Just then, a strong gust of wind came from behind. An elder with long arms seized the opportunity to rush to Zhang Cheng's side and punched him in the protective aura.

"Bang!" The Northern Darkness True Qi suddenly erupted. The elder cried out in surprise and was thrown back, landing in a daze.

Zhang Cheng paused, looking at the scene with a hint of speechlessness. He hadn't even made a move yet, and one of them had already fallen.

"The third one."

On the other side, Qiao Feng was fighting against Elder Wu, a red-faced man wielding a ghost-head saber.

He spotted an opening and kicked his opponent's wrist, causing the blade to veer off course. Then, he spun around and delivered a sweeping whip kick through the air.

Elder Wu was thrown off balance by the first kick and only had time to raise his arm to block.

"Bang!" Qiao Feng's kick landed squarely on his forearm. Using the momentum, he flipped backward and landed with a backhand palm strike, hitting the opponent squarely in the chest.

Elder Wu groaned and fell backward, the ghost-headed saber flying out of his hand and landing with a clang a few feet away.

At this point, all four elders were unable to fight any longer.

Zhang Cheng glanced at the people lying on the ground, channeled his inner strength, and shouted sharply, "The four elders are all down. Is there any Beggar Clan brother who wants to offer me a few pointers?"

The sound was like thunder, rolling through the forest.

Qiao Feng also spoke at the same time: "The battle is over! If you brothers still acknowledge me as your leader, then lay down your weapons!"

The beggars' morale immediately collapsed, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Quan Guanqing was about to say a few words to encourage people and stabilize the situation, but Qiao Feng was already on guard against him.

He made a grabbing motion in the air, and a powerful suction force suddenly arose in his palm.

Caught off guard, Quan Guanqing stumbled forward uncontrollably. Filled with shock and rage, he tried to retaliate, but Qiao Feng gave him no chance. With a series of strikes of his right palm, he instantly sealed all of Quan Guanqing's vital points.

Quan Guanqing's body stiffened, and he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing that their leaders had been subdued, the beggars lost all will to fight. One by one, they put down their weapons and stood there dejectedly.

Qiao Feng held Quan Guanqing in his hand and then thanked Zhang Cheng, saying, "Thank you for your righteous help, Sect Leader Zhang. I didn't expect internal strife to arise, and I apologize for making you laugh."

Zhang Cheng waved his hand: "It was nothing. It's a pity I couldn't experience Chief Qiao's skills today; we'll have to compete another day."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rough shout suddenly came from the woods.

"Compete? Compete in what way? You want to fight? Then count me, 'A Gust of Wind from Jiangnan,' as the villain!"